Po’ Girl – Vagabond Lullabies

Unlike Louisiana’s po’ boy — an overstuffed sandwich that lingers in the memory — Po’ Girl is a trio of women with acoustic instruments and a bent for lyrical poetry. It’s a sparse affair, with soft melodies drifting along warm harmonies that sound as if they’re being sung at a distance. Even with the volume turned up, this is a very quiet record.

Vagabond Lullabies is the follow-up to the trio’s 2003 self-titled debut, and is a side project for Trish Klein of the Be Good Tanyas. Joining her is vocalist Allison Russell, who brings a jazzy, world music sensibility to the set. The band’s newest member, fiddler Diona Davies, clearly is of a similar mind when it comes to creating gentle roots music with blues and antique country influences.

But ultimately this is music for the patchouli and hemp set. “Take The Long Way”, with a Hammond undercurrent and a rap break, and “Movin’ On”, highlighted by banjo and fiddle interplay, have discernable pulses. Much of the rest is what you put in the CD changer on a Sunday morning with a major hangover.